Rogue Nations – And what Thomas Jefferson did about them!

When Thomas Jefferson became President of the USA in 1801 our nation had been threatened by the Barbary Coast pirates from Algiers, Tripoli, Tunis, and Morocco for nearly 15 years. American leaders had negotiated, pleaded, bribed, and been humiliated by the leaders of those rogue nations, but the piracy continued.

But Jefferson had had enough! He convinced Congress to authorize the use of force at his discretion to protect American ships and citizens against those who threatened us. He then built and dispatched fleets of powerful warships to aggressively force the rogue states into submission. Thomas Jefferson eliminated, once and for all, their threat to our nation and our people.

Anyone see a similarity between what Jefferson faced and defeated and the threat from a certain rogue nation that threatens America today?

As has been said many times: If We seek Peace, We Must Prepare for War!

Let your voices be heard here and now. How should the USA deal with the rogue nation you all know we’re talking about, the one we face today? The only way to get American citizens thinking and talking about our nation’s future is to join together and let OUR VOICES drown out those who counsel timidity, fear and retreat.

When Jefferson first became president several of his cabinet members weren’t convinced that the Constitution gave him the power to take military action without first getting the consent of Congress. Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin said that “the Executive cannot put us in a state of war.” Attorney General Levi Lincoln was even less convinced, saying “Our men of war may repel an attack, but they must not proceed to destroy the enemy’s ships.”

But Jefferson’s Secretary of War and Secretary of State, Henry Dearborn and James Madison, both agreed that we “should go forward openly to protect our commerce against the threatened hostilities.” Eventually Jefferson swayed the entire cabinet to his side, and then convinced Congress that there was no alternative to force. On February 6, 1802 a law was passed authorizing the President to send as many ships as necessary to protect and defend American commerce and seamen. Within two years the threat was banished!

Jefferson’s commitment and determination along with his masterful interaction with both friends and opponents in Congress forged an American victory and the final elimination of the rogue nation threats from the northern coasts of Africa.

His achievements of over 200 years ago should stand as inspiration for our leaders today as we, too, face severe threats from a rogue nation here in the 21st century.

RH Lee

Richard Henry Lee raised a troop of Virginia militia, was elected their leader, and marched the troop to join the colonial forces in the French & Indian War. He later served in the Virginia House of Burgesses, the First Continental Congress, and was elected the first State Senator from Virginia following the adoption of the Constitution of the United States. He was an avid supporter of states rights and individual freedom. View all posts by RH Lee →